MyFixitUpLife home improvement
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It’s easy to love your wood pergola, deck, playset, or outdoor space when the sun is shining and it’s all board shorts, cookouts, and kids kicking around in the grass. But it’s extreme weather that tests a wood’s mettle. That’s why we prefer cedar for our outdoor projects. And Western Red Cedar’s proven, natural ability [...]
Ridgid’s R32102 wormdrive is a pro-grade circ saw that cuts fast, smooth, and does comes up big in both the power and prowess I need from rough to trim carpentry. I came up in the trades on the East Coast. Every circ saw I used was a sidewinder style circ saw. Loved ‘em. They’re [...]
Back-prime/seal any cedar siding you install (you can buy it pre-primed) and prime/seal the end-grains where you cut it during installation. Also, cedar should be hand nailed to prevent over drives.
I have a whole “thing” I get into below about DaVinci‘s new Bellaforte Shake roofing tiles, but after getting an early look at them, I’m wasting time not starting at: BAM! DaVinci didn’t just do a great job on these shake-style tiles, they did a GREAT job on these and here’s why I think [...]
When installing deck boards, cut the first 3 near the house and the last one, furthest from the house, to the deck’s exact width + 1/8 inch on each side. Run the rest of the boards long. Snap a line between the first and last boards, then cut all the “wild” boards at once for [...]
When installing Western red cedar or Redwood decks, the wood is kiln dried and usually requires a spacer (a 16 penny nail works great) between courses. Check with your supplier to confirm.
Occasionally a fastener and the thickness of the work are the exact same measurement: a 3 inch nail/a double 2-by header; a 5/4 fence board and 2-by rail. For those times when you want to keep the fastener tip from protruding if the nail or screw countersinks, drive it in at a slight angle.
Question: I am building a deck. I have heard that some carpenters install the deck boards with the bark side of the deck board facing up. I want to build this right. What’s your take? Answer: My take is this: good question. There has been conversation about this amongst deck builders for years. And the [...]
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